Magic Beans Would Have Been A Better Choice

Summary

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Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: Magic Beans Would Have Been A Better Choice

Date: October 14, 2025
Hosts: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty

Episode Overview

In this episode, Armstrong and Getty dive into contemporary issues around generational behaviors, US-China tensions (especially cyber warfare and trade), developments in AI and sex bots, and shifting conversations within American culture and country music. The hosts blend wry humor, skepticism, and serious concern as they riff on news headlines, personal anecdotes, and a featured "60 Minutes" segment on the chilling realities of China's cyber intrusions into US infrastructure.

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Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Gen Z, Tradsons, and Financial Literacy

• Topic: The trend of Gen Z men moving home, household roles, and the new label "Tradsons."
• Key Points:
  • "Tradsons" rebrands the narrative from "failures" to young men embracing traditional roles at home.
  • The crew discusses young people's struggle with financial independence.
    • Jack: "The hard edge of reality is the only thing that made me improve my financial acumen." [01:42]
    • Michael shares a family anecdote highlighting disparities in money sense, alluding to genetics and upbringing.
  • Anecdote about a parent repossessing a car given to a 20-year-old after payments weren't made.

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2. Energy, Oil Glut, and Renewables Politics

• Topic: Predictions of an oil glut and the US stance on renewables.
• Key Points:
  • Jack reads a headline about a possible 2026 oil glut—implying gas prices could fall, disappointing climate activists. [02:21]
  • Michael critiques Europe's economic stagnation linked to aggressive renewable adoption:
    • "They've sacrificed themselves on the altar of renewable energy... and it's not good enough, man. Burn, baby, burn." [02:42]
  • The US seems to be "waiting out" current renewables tech, demanding better storage and dependability.

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3. Columbus Day & Cultural Satire

• Topic: Columbus Day’s modern controversy, with their signature sardonic takes.
• Notable Moment:
  • Jack jokes: "You always say you want to walk into a Walmart and say I have discovered this Walmart." [04:22]
  • Michael doubles down on the satirical approach, noting new listeners may miss the ironic tone.

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4. US-China Trade Tensions & Rare Earth Minerals

• Topic: Trump’s rhetorical threats of 100% tariffs on Chinese goods and rare earth reliance.
• Key Points:
  • Jack details Trump's fluctuating tone: from fiery to conciliatory within 48 hours, reflecting the fraught US-China relationship. [05:18]
  • The U.S.'s dependence on China for 94% of essential rare earth minerals is called "a disgrace."
  • Michael explains:
    • "It's a nearly impossible conundrum we're in." [06:24]
    • Dictatorships’ environmental disregard gives China an economic edge in mining.
  • Fun chemistry quiz: Dysprosium (real) vs. Alacrium (fake); stresses importance of "rare earths" in tech and military uses. [07:12]

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5. Dictatorships vs. Democracies: Efficiency and Peril

• Key Point:
  • Jack and Michael debate if dictatorships are more efficient, noting dictatorship's ability to act without regulatory constraint, but also citing "hilarious inefficiency" (USSR).
  • Michael: "Dictatorships veer between being incredibly efficient and almost hilariously inefficient..." [09:18]

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6. Shifting Language and Trans Controversies in the Courts

• Topic: The Kavanaugh attempted attack case, gender identity in court language.
• Key Points:
  • The judge's language is lampooned for using "her penis" and "her scrotum" in reference to a trans defendant.
    • Jack: “How do you have a phrase that includes the two words back to back ‘her penis’?” [11:24]
    • Michael: “Nail clippers—Not the right tool for that job...Every carpenter knows that.” [11:16]
  • The segment illustrates the hosts' exasperation over changes in court discourse and cultural norms.

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7. AI & Sex Bots: The Next Disruptive Tech

• Topic: Explosion of AI girlfriends, ethical dilemmas, and market focus.
• Key Points:
  • Elon Musk and XAI launch sexually explicit AI companions, drawing a line between AI and "real" webcam exploitation. [14:22]
    • “They made a video game out of it.” – Jack [15:24]
  • Industry claims to eliminate human trafficking, but hosts are skeptical the trend is genuinely virtuous.
    • Michael: “Do you prefer your porn with lots of abuse and human trafficking, or would you rather talk to an AI?” [16:08]
    • Michael critiques industry spokespersons for assuming the worst of human sex work, then excusing it for AI: “Sex acts that are so humiliating they make women commit suicide… but it’s an AI girl so it’s fine.” [17:23]
  • Jack: “I can't even wrap my head around the present and the future we're about to head into. China's going to take over the world.” [18:06]

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8. China’s Massive Cyberwarfare Campaign (Special: "60 Minutes" Recap)

• Topic: Chilling realities of Chinese infiltration into U.S. infrastructure.
• Key Points:
  • Four-star general (ex-NSA head) confirms Chinese hackers are present in US utilities, from water to power and telecommunications. [19:17–23:03]
    • “China is targeting not just the US Military and industry, but also Americans in their homes.” – Four Star General / 60 Minutes [20:03]
  • China seeks "unrestricted warfare," unconstrained by norms, to gain leverage without firing a shot.
  • Littleton, MA water plant: FBI warned they were 1 of 200 plants with proven Chinese infiltration.
    • “If you had control of these tanks, you’ve got control of Littleton, Massachusetts. You can poison the water.” [25:20]
  • Jack: “What a clever way to get around the whole kind of nuclear weapon conundrum.” [21:13]
  • The ease of sabotage: Small towns cannot afford to upgrade, and attacks could sow chaos.
    • “It's really a tear it down and build it up again.” – Michael [29:04]
  • Michael: “We are as vulnerable as I think any foe has ever been... I hope good people are getting to the root of this...” [27:47]
  • Both hosts give "10/10" odds of a major cyberattack by China in the next decade. [31:45–31:48]
  • Discussion on the futility of traditional attribution and response strategies in cyber warfare.
    • “It’s a clever way to get around the whole nuclear weapon conundrum.” – Jack [32:59]
    • “What a time to be alive. Hope you found that interesting. I sure did.” – Jack [33:04]

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9. Country Music, Politics, and Immigration

• Topic: Country star Zach Bryan’s new song, the Bud Light effect, and right-wing debates on immigration.
• Key Points:
  • Zach Bryan, a popular singer-songwriter, faces backlash for lyrics perceived as anti-ICE/anti-Trump. [34:34–36:42]
  • Jack draws parallels between Bryan’s nuanced stance and Marjorie Taylor Greene's surprising remarks calling for compassion toward long-term undocumented immigrants—signals a cultural shift within conservative America.
  • Michael: “For years and years, we as a country... sent the message, come on in. We need the workers... A lot of people... saying, wait a minute. We can't just heave them out now. It's not right.” [37:21]
  • Political impact: Unlikely alliances (Bryan and MTG) could influence GOP and Trump.
    • “That's powerful. That's got to get Trump's attention. He usually has his finger on the pulse of that sort of thing.” – Jack [38:09]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On "Tradsons":
  • “Tradsons, replacing the old name Failures.” – Jack [00:14]
• Family & Financial Literacy:
  • “Magic beans would have been a better idea than this.” – Michael [00:57]
• Renewable Energy Skepticism:
  • “Europe has sacrificed themselves on the altar of renewable energy, the current technology and it's not good enough, man. Burn, baby, burn.” – Michael [02:42]
• Rare Earths & Global Power:
  • “Dictatorships veer between being incredibly efficient and almost hilariously inefficient...” – Michael [09:18]
• AI Sex Bots & Ethics:
  • “Do you prefer your porn with lots of abuse and human trafficking, or would you rather talk to an AI?” – Michael [16:08]
• China's Cyberwarfare:
  • “If you had control of these tanks, you’ve got control of Littleton, Massachusetts. You can poison the water.” – 4-Star General / 60 Minutes [25:20]
• Geopolitical Consequences:
  • “It's a clever way to get around the whole nuclear weapon conundrum.” – Jack [21:13]
  • “We are as vulnerable as I think any foe has ever been.” – Michael [27:47]
• On Emerging Political Coalitions:
  • “The fact that you have MTG and Zach Bryan on the same page... That's powerful.” – Jack [38:09]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Gen Z “Tradsons” & Money Management: 00:14–02:21
• Oil Glut & Renewables Debate: 02:21–03:46
• Columbus Day Satire: 04:05–04:56
• Trump’s Tariff Threats & Rare Earths: 04:56–09:43
• Dictatorship Efficiency: 09:00–09:43
• Trans Court Language Controversy: 10:17–12:39
• AI Sex Bots & Market Trends: 14:22–18:13
• China Hacking US Utilities ("60 Minutes" segment): 19:17–33:04
• Zach Bryan & Country Music Politics: 34:34–39:09

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Episode Tone & Style

• Tone:
  • Witty, biting, sometimes exasperated, but always skeptical and intellectually restless. Even on grave subjects (cyberwar), humor is never far below the surface.
  • Banter punctuated by sarcasm, rhetorical questions, and cultural references.
• Style:
  • Quick-fire conversation, shifting between headlines, personal stories, and deep dives.
  • Heavy use of analogies, satire, and irreverent pop culture observations.

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This episode showcases Armstrong & Getty at their incisive, entertaining best—using the news of the day as a jumping-off point to explore anxieties at the intersection of technology, global security, and American culture, while never losing their signature irreverence.

Transcript

[Jack Armstrong]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Joe Getty]

Broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln radio studio at the George Washington Broadcast Center. Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty. And now here's Armstrong and Getty. A growing number of Gen Z men are moving back in with their parents taking over household chores and calling themselves Tradsons, replacing the old name Failures. Wow, I've come across that Trad sun thing quite a few places, but that's.

[Michael]

A good joke.

[Jack Armstrong]

Boy. Failure to launch.

[Michael]

Yeah, yeah, we. I can't go into detail. We're dealing with some family dynamics right now involving a youngish person whose money management borders on the surreal. The kid who bought the magic beans on the way home that turned into the Beanstalk. Magic beans would have been a better idea than this. There are times I think financial acumen is at least half genetic. Some people, it's way harder to teach them. You know, I've got one kid who scrimps and saves. Same household as another kid who. Well, it's difficult to even get the concept to stick. But anyway, back to you.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I was talking to a parent the other day who had bought their 20 year old or something like that, a car to have to drive to be able to get to work, blah, blah, blah, with an agreement, you're going to make the payment and change you out and stuff like that. The kid did not make the payment or change you out or anything like that. So the parent, after delaying longer than they feel like they should have finally just sold the car from out underneath them and now they're like taking the bus everywhere. But anyway, my experience is the, the, the hard edge of reality is the only thing that made me improve my financial acumen.

[Michael]

Yeah, that's been my own personal experience that often works.

[Jack Armstrong]

Just came across this headline. The IAEA says there's going to be a worldwide oil glut in 26. Sorry climate change activists. Gas prices are gonna go down. People are gonna keep driving cars driven by the greatest energy source that's ever been developed on planet Earth.

[Michael]

You know, on that topic, I saw a headline and maybe I can find it real quickly. It was essentially, everyone is doubling down on renewable energy except the US except. And it clicked into my head with clarity. It hasn't before you could rewrite that headline, the world, or they mostly just meant Europe, but is doubling down on the current generation of renewable power technology. I was looking at a product not long ago, a consumer product, and I thought, brand new buggy, wait a year. And the United States, I think to a large extent has said, yeah, the current stuff just isn't dependable enough. It doesn't make enough power, it doesn't store enough power. And look at Europe's moribund economy. I mean, they've sacrificed themselves on the altar of renewable energy, the current technology and it's not good enough, man. Burn, baby, burn.

[Jack Armstrong]

Things are getting serious up in here. Joe dropped an Amora bund on us.

[Michael]

That's right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Apparently this is not this, this isn't hijinks around here.

[Michael]

This is we're getting that suckers.

[Jack Armstrong]

One of the biggest headlines while we are off for a couple of days honoring Columbus's discovery and discovered America.

[Michael]

Can you imagine the first human to ever see these shores?

[Jack Armstrong]

What's your joke that you say every.

[Michael]

Single year, oh, the Indians are standing around saying, you discovered it, we're here.

[Jack Armstrong]

You always say you want to walk into a Walmart and say I have discovered this Walmart.

[Michael]

Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

And claim it on behalf of Queen Isabella.

[Michael]

You know, it'd be funny if we have like new listeners, especially, you know, to the left of center to be to go on and on, winking at the audience. Obviously, you know, the folks would know we're kidding, but just to go on and on about how Columbus came to a completely untamed wilderness. There were no people, can you imagine, from coast to coast and he settled it.

[Jack Armstrong]

So anyway, the biggest story that happened while we're off maybe is Trump hitting China with hundred percent tariffs on all products from China. All 100% tariffs. That's what he announced just a couple of days ago. He was quoting in his truth social post, China's unheard of controls on rare earth minerals which are sinister and hostile and a moral disgrace. It is sinister and hostile. I don't know where morality plays into it, but it is sinister and hostile and it is a very big deal. But it got Trump so worked up that he avowed to hit back with 100% tariffs on all products from China. And then he said the rest is history. I'm not exactly sure what that means. Then 48 hours later, calming down a little bit maybe. Trump posted. President Xi Jinping of China was only having a bad moment. Mr. Trump said on a social media Sunday, don't worry about China, it will be fine. He reassured his followers with he wants to help China, not hurt it. Don't worry about China, it will be fine. So I don't know where we are, but China has declared they're not going to allow us to have any of these rare earth minerals that we need for AI and making Fighter jets and all these different things. The fact that China controls like 94% of rare earth minerals on, on planet Earth and we somehow allowed that to happen. Yipes. Is a disgrace.

[Michael]

Working to change that. But it's going to take zillions of dollars and years and years of effort to do it. It's. It's a nearly impossible conundrum we're in. And we're going to talk more about this at the bottom of the hour. How China is trying to hack into all of our systems. Big towns and small counties and hospitals and governments and water plant treatments and power grids and everything, Everything, everything, everything. They want to have a kill switch. They're engaged in overt psychological warfare against the American people. They're militarizing the entire region where they're kicking around. We are at war with them.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, absolutely.

[Michael]

And utterly dependent on each other for trade.

[Jack Armstrong]

We are going to feature 60 Minutes, their first story about all that coming up in about 20 minutes. So I got more to say about it then.

[Michael]

Yeah. Well, speaking of the, the rare earth thing, just a quick note. The so called, they're called rare earths. They're not actually rare, but they're difficult to extract because they're scattered and mixed among other rocks and minerals. I thought this would be fun. Michael, which one of these is an actual rare earth substance? And which did. I just made makeup?

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay. I wouldn't have any idea.

[Michael]

Jack, you don't get to weigh in because I know you took a lot of chemistry. Is it, which one did I make up? Dysprosium or alacrium.

[Jack Armstrong]

And China has it and we need it. I'm gonna say a lacrium. You made that up.

[Michael]

I just made that up. Dysprosium is atomic number 66 on the periodic table. If tech industry were. The tech industry were a bakery, dysprosium would be like baking powder. It's used in small quantities, but essential for enabling electric car motors, wind turbines, military systems and computer chip machinery.

[Jack Armstrong]

So was China just the first to recognize, boy, the future of everything is these rare earth minerals. So we need to either make deals or capture the land of or mine ourselves enough of this to be. Did they just figure that out before us or what?

[Michael]

Yeah. One of the great advantages of being a dictatorship, number one, decisiveness. And number two, they don't. They couldn't give half a crap about the environment. Right. Or climate change or workers rights or the number of people who die in the mines. Good point.

[Jack Armstrong]

If China decides, if somebody tells Xi Jinping you know, there's a whole bunch of dysprosium under that mountain over there. He doesn't have to do a five year long environmental impact study to decide if they can do any mining.

[Michael]

I'm sorry, sir. The miners unions are suing us on environmental grounds and.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. Which might be. I was thinking about with this. With a different story. Might be an indication that maybe that system, long term, does work better, as horrifying as that is.

[Michael]

Well, I wouldn't say long term. I would say at times, dictatorships veer between being incredibly efficient and almost hilariously inefficient to the Soviet Union.

[Jack Armstrong]

True.

[Michael]

Although the Chinese took communism and they showed, you know, Stalin how to do it, they are amazingly effective. Right now.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's a very frustrating story.

[Michael]

Well, we're in an impossible position.

[Jack Armstrong]

100% tariffs is not sustainable though, is it, for even like a week on everything from China?

[Michael]

Oh, no, no. It's. It's a. You're gonna do that because China declared just not to get too far into the weeds. But if. If a product derives more than a tenth of a percent of their value from rare earth stuff, you've gotta get specific permission from the Chinese commerce ministry to get your rare earth st.

[Jack Armstrong]

So, different story. Quick follow up. You remember the story from last week? The guy that got caught hoping to break into Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh's home and abduct and. Or kill the justice and his family.

[Michael]

Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Who then declared that he is a woman and it is believed that he got the light sentence because he is trans. I hadn't come across this. This is from the. This is a quote from the judge. Judd, Rob, Judge Robinson, try to wrap your head around these sentences. This passage. Clark, that's the dude who decided he is a woman who wanted to kill a Supreme Court justice. Clark attempted to castrate herself by tying a shoelace around her penis and scrotum and cutting off her scrotum with a pair of nail clippers.

[Michael]

Number one, nail clippers. Not the right tool for that job. I mean, the right tool makes the job much easier. Every carpenter knows that.

[Jack Armstrong]

How do you have a phrase that includes the two words back to back her penis?

[Michael]

I know.

[Jack Armstrong]

Clark attempted to castrate herself by tying a shoelace around her penis and cutting off her scrotum with a pair of nail clippers.

[Michael]

A judge wrote that. That is astonishingly idiotic.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes, Katie.

[Michael]

I. I just don't know many females with those parts.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, exactly. Yes, exactly. That is the problem.

[Michael]

You know, I've run into vanishingly Few myself in my distinguished career of coupling. Isn't that incredible?

[Jack Armstrong]

That that's where we are.

[Michael]

That's where they are.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, some people are. Very few people are.

[Michael]

And a lot of people were afraid to not be there, like a year ago.

[Jack Armstrong]

You can't say her penis.

[Michael]

No, no. Herpinus. Is that Alec Baldwin's wife's name?

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, Jesus, no.

[Michael]

I'm trying to remember.

[Jack Armstrong]

Planet just past Jupiter.

[Michael]

Yes.

[Jack Armstrong]

Anyway, her scrotum. Yes, exactly. Attempted to cut off her scrotum with nail clippers. Nail clippers. Okay, now you're getting back to the plan, which is not good.

[Michael]

No, it's not. Speaking of bad plans, country star Zach Brian decides to go all Bud Light. That controversy coming up.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, he's a big deal too.

[Michael]

I know, I know it. And I know nothing about country music and AI companies doubling and tripling down on sex bots.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, boy.

[Michael]

Where the profit is.

[Jack Armstrong]

I want to talk about that. We got a lot on the way. Stay here.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Getty.

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[Jack Armstrong]

Why did China hack into the water treatment plant in a tiny little northeastern town? That's what 60 Minutes was talking about Sunday night. Crazy scary story about what China has been doing. Probably for quite a few years. And we better wake up that story. Coming up.

[Michael]

Elon Musk is gambling big on sexy AI companions.

[Jack Armstrong]

For himself, for the world.

[Michael]

For the world, not for himself. He can have all the companions he wants and generally has a kid or two with them. A blonde woman wearing pigtails, a gothic off the shoulder dress and fishnet stockings stared into the screen awaiting instructions. And this is a robot babe you're keeping it spicy. Annie said in a low voice as she spun and jumped on command.

[Jack Armstrong]

If I'm going to have a sex robot, can it not have a low voice?

[Michael]

Sorry. Sorry. Well, what do you want?

[60 Minutes Correspondent]

Me?

[Michael]

No, I'm not doing a porn girl voice for you. Sick fantasies. And then it goes on and gets rather more explicit. Annie is one of two sexually explicit chat bot companions unveiled by Elon Musk's AI company XAI in July. The cartoonish Personas resemble anime characters and offer a game like function. As users progress through levels of conversation, they unlock more raunchy content.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, my God.

[Michael]

The ability to strip Annie down to lace lingerie.

[Jack Armstrong]

They made a video game out of it.

[Michael]

Oh, things are getting weird. And they're getting weird fast.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes, they are, Elon.

[Michael]

Yeah, so they're spending a bunch of money on that. They mentioned that Meta and OpenAI have shied away from the sexually explicit stuff, even though, you know, anybody with a little skill can jailbreak it because they don't want to, you know, run into reputational and regulatory risks. So. Elon, big on that then. I thought this was really interesting. Here's. Here's how this opens. Eleanor, 24, is a Polish historian and lecturer at a university in Warsaw. Isabel, 25, is a detective serving with the NYPD. No way you'd make detective at 25, by the way. Brooke, 39, is an American housewife who enjoys an opulent Miami lifestyle financed by her frequently absent husband. All three women will flirt and chat and send nude. Nude photographs and explicit videos via one of a soaring number of new adult dating websites that offer increasingly realistic AI girlfriends for subscribers willing to pay a monthly fee.

[Jack Armstrong]

But, you know, they're A.I.

[Michael]

Yes.

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay.

[Michael]

This was the talk of this big conference in Prague last month. Evidently, developers of the new businesses claim they represent an improvement on webcam businesses where real women undress on camera and talk to men. That's, you know, more than that. Uh, because these services remove the potential for the exploitation seen in parts of the industry. Uh, do you prefer your porn with lots of abuse and human trafficking, or would you rather talk to an AI Asks Steve Jones, who runs an AI porn site. We hear about human trafficking. Girls being forced to be on camera 10 hours a day. You'll never have a human trafficked AI girl. You'll never have a girl who is forced or coerced into a sex scene that she's so humiliated by that she ends up killing herself. AI doesn't get humiliated, and it's not going to kill itself.

[Jack Armstrong]

So you're they're trying to convince you you're a good person then a better person. If you have a not real girlfriend, that's AI because nobody's being abused here. As opposed to your not real girlfriend who is pretending to like you for money. Oh my right. Oh my God. What a trade off.

[Michael]

And this is. It's a hell of an argument to make. But yeah, there is human trafficking and exploitation. Not everybody is a former stewardess making 100,000amonth on you know, onlyfans or whatever. A lot of it really is sick. What I found interesting and troubling is this guy's presumption that sex acts that are so humiliating they make women commit suicide are you know, that's what we sell here. But it's an AI girl so it's fine.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow. I can't even wrap my head around the present and the future we're about to head into. China's going to take over the world.

[Commercial Announcer]

World.

[Joe Getty]

Stay tuned for that Armstrong and Getty.

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[Four Star General / Expert]

What did they target?

[60 Minutes Correspondent]

They targeted water, they targeted electrical power, infrastructure, transportation are examples of the types of things that were targeted and in many cases they're vulnerable.

[Jack Armstrong]

So what are we talking about there? We're talking about the Chinese targeting us in all kinds of different ways. That was the voice of a four star general who was in air forced Air Force intelligence his whole career and rose to the level of running the NSA in Trump's presidency first time around and he was on 60 Minutes on Sunday night talking to Scott Pelley and a couple other people on there about the ways China has been hacking into our country. This is how they started.

[Four Star General / Expert]

The surprise, Tim Hawk told us, is that China is targeting not just the US Military and industry, but also Americans in their homes.

[60 Minutes Correspondent]

I think initially we were surprised that China would target every American with these capabilities. That goes against every norm of international law. That certainly goes against how the United States military would approach targeting in a crisis or a conflict. That the fact that they would go after basic services as part of their effort, that they have identified as unrestricted warfare is unconscionable.

[Jack Armstrong]

I think it's. Well, it's unconscionable. Yeah. Okay. That we can all yell that as we go under the boot of the Chinese. That's not fair.

[Michael]

That's not unconscionable for the Chinese.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. Is the problem.

[Commercial Announcer]

I thought.

[Jack Armstrong]

I was thinking this as I was watching the story, and we'll play more of it. They. They hacked into a water plant in tiny town in Massachusetts or New Hampshire or wherever it was, and they've done it all across the country. And.

[Michael]

What a clever way to get.

[Jack Armstrong]

Around the whole kind of nuclear weapon conundrum that has existed since the 40s. So China knows, and we know, and all the big powers know. Nobody's really wanting to cross that barrier. But what if they attack all of our cell phone towers, water plants, electric grid, everything, all at once and bring us to our knees that way, without the cataclysm of a nuclear holocaust?

[Michael]

Right. Yeah. Well, you'd bring entire cities or regions or the entire country to a stop.

[Jack Armstrong]

So back to 60 Minutes. They've been at this for a while, as they. China has been at this for a while. As is explained here, multiple intrusions at.

[Four Star General / Expert]

Utilities were discovered in 2023, and China had been on some of their computer networks at least five years. You're saying that the Chinese today are in American power plants, water treatment plants, other parts of the electrical grid, maybe even hospitals, telecommunications, all of that.

[60 Minutes Correspondent]

So there is a daily contest that is going on to be able to deny China those accesses. But they are certainly attempting every single day to be able to target telecommunications, to be able to target critical infrastructure both in the United States and in other countries. And they are doing that to try to ensure that they have an advantage in a crisis or a conflict.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes. And why are they doing this?

[Four Star General / Expert]

Is China preparing for war?

[60 Minutes Correspondent]

There was no other reason to target those systems. There was no advantage to be gained economically. There was no foreign intelligence collection. The only value would be for use in a crisis or a conflict.

[Jack Armstrong]

So clear, what's going on? I mean, you don't have to be a genius to figure it out. When they move on Taiwan, they're gonna flip off an electric grid in a couple places around the country and, you know, all kinds of different things that they've been preparing and we're gonna back off.

[Michael]

Yeah, the Taiwan thing is a likely scenario, but they have weapons. And just think of them like any other weapons, and they have readied those weapons for when they need them. When might they need them? It's hard to say. But they have those weapons. So maybe they never move on Taiwan, but it becomes, you know, the Philippines or something happens in South China Sea, or they announce, you know, some giant, you know, toll you have to pay in shipping to go through the South China Sea or something. It could be a hundred different things, you know, I'm sorry, the thought just occurred to me. It's kind of tangential, but if we'd been listening to any of this in 1990, which was not that long ago, we had cars and electricity and everything and everything. Everybody hearing that this reported say, wait a minute, how do they have that control? What's hacking the Internet? The connectivity revolution has made us enormously vulnerable to a foe in a way that's never existed before in history.

[Jack Armstrong]

So this is a guy running this little town that they discovered China had hacked into their water treatment plant. China had been in there, as you heard in the last clip, maybe five years, who knows how long.

[Four Star General / Expert]

Nick Lawlor is general manager of the Littleton, Massachusetts Electric and Water Utility. His town has 10,000 residents. Can you think of any reason that China would target your little community?

[Michael]

That's the exact question I had for the FBI when they visited me on that first day. And I still can't answer that question. No, I can't think of one reason.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I mean, not a specific reason, but in a more general sense it's pretty obvious what the reason is.

[Michael]

Can you think of a single reason someone would speak as slowly as Scott Kelly?

[Jack Armstrong]

He does talk, really. So let's, let's round it out with this, then we can discuss.

[Four Star General / Expert]

The FBI visited in November 2023 to tell Lawler that China had access to his utilities computer network. He says the feds told him he was one of 200. How much of all of this is controlled remotely by computer? All of it in his water treatment plant. Lawler showed us tanks of dangerous chemicals that are precisely controlled to deliver clean water. If you had control of these tanks, you've got control of Littleton, Massachusetts. You can poison the water.

[Jack Armstrong]

You can poison the water. That is stunning. So 200, maybe a thousand. Who knows? We probably don't have any idea. Little water plants across America. And as they point out later in the story, what if China. That was from the four Star general said, what if China hit four different water treatment plants, small towns spread across America? The news the next day is all four of these towns, their water is poison, and they don't know what they're going to do. Can you imagine how much that would rattle this country?

[Michael]

All right, here's what I would do.

[Jack Armstrong]

To the stock market.

[Michael]

Please, please. That it's child's play, what you're describing. Then the next day, three of the major cities in America, the cell phone coverage would go out. Then the next day, all of Texas would be dark because their power grid was taken down. And then Xi Jinping and call up Donald Trump and say, you want to talk about those tariffs again?

[Jack Armstrong]

Then they release the flying monkeys, which I assume they have also, if they have to.

[Michael]

No, you see my point? Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, yeah.

[Michael]

It need not be Taiwan. It's leverage. Leverage is used whenever they need it.

[Jack Armstrong]

I wouldn't think you'd do that over bringing the tariffs down. I would assume you're hanging on to this for something bigger.

[Michael]

Well, although once you establish we have complete power over your society. Yeah, maybe you keep that under wraps for a little while. But why wouldn't that be good three weeks later, when it was about the South China Sea, you know, would we say, oh, no, we've learned to live without lights and the Internet? No, we'd be every bit as vulnerable. They'll use it over and over again.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't think this is likely, but if they wanted to combine that with an actual attack, like to try to just actually militarily defeat us, that'd be a heck of a thing.

[Michael]

Note to self, stock up on ammo. Yeah. We are as vulnerable as I think any foe has ever been. I mean, Hamas guys trotting around with. Not Hamas, Hezbollah guys kicking around with pagers that they thought were just pagers, are less vulnerable than we are as a society. I hope good people are getting to the root of this, but what can be done at this point is the are the good guys. And I don't have a tenth of the expertise I need to answer this question, but I think some of y' all might. Where is the battle between the good guys and the bad guys at this point in keeping our systems secure or rooting out the. The evildoers when they're in the systems?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, obviously that would be top, top secret. Information. But as they pointed out on 60 Minutes, it's really expensive in some tiny little town to try to root the Chinese out of your computer systems, put in a new computer system that's got all the most modern security to try to keep China from getting back in. It's very, very expensive thing to do. It's. We, we have to do it. There's no other option.

[Michael]

It's really a tear it down and build it up again.

[Jack Armstrong]

Absolutely. And as I mentioned earlier is pretty clever. China didn't get in there and put in some sort of spyware or something like that that you could eventually detect. No, they just have the password in the login. And if they ever need it, the login mess with the chemicals and make your water poison.

[Michael]

And I would guess that it's more than just having a password. They have access to, you know, every keystroke of various employees or whatever, because passwords change.

[Jack Armstrong]

But yeah, and, and, and who knows how they got in? Might be the guy that worked at the water plant was on Tick Tock with his company phone. Who knows?

[Michael]

But I need to reach out to some military sources. If all of a sudden we had zero cell phone service in the United States, could the military continue to function?

[Jack Armstrong]

I can't imagine the panic that would exist nationwide, given how we all feel like if you forget your cell phone and you drive away from your house and think, ah, oh my God. And you wouldn't be able to get a hold of your kids or your boss or your.

[Michael]

Oh.

[Jack Armstrong]

This will happen, though.

[Michael]

Don't.

[Jack Armstrong]

Don't you think? I'll save this for after this commercial.

[Michael]

Oh, I gave my answer already. Michael. Edit that out when it, when it airs. Yeah. Speaking of technology, on the plus side, the good folks at Simplisaf Security Home Security are using AI to protect you the moment someone steps onto your property. AI Security cameras identified the threat and alert. Simply saves professional monitoring agents. And those agents take action immediately, confronting the criminal if they need to, triggering siren spotlights and dispatching the cops to your house.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yep. I got Simplisafe set it up myself. You don't have to set it up yourself, but it's pretty easy. It's right there in the word simply. But they got plenty of help for you if you want it, so why don't you try it? 60 day money back guarantee, no long term contracts. This is the best security system out there.

[Michael]

You got to rip out that old system that just alerts the cops after someone already breaks in. And the cops think, oh, it's Probably a false alarm. 98% of them are, no, it's Simply Safe. They say, yeah, there's a guy in a black jacket breaking into, trying to break into the Jones house. Anyway, right now our listeners can save 50 off Simply Safe's home security system at SimpliSafe.com Armstrong that's SimpliSafe.com Armstrong there's no safe like Simplisafe.

[Jack Armstrong]

So how I'll look at it this way, scale of 1 to 10, 10 being absolutely yes. What's the chances that China poisons the water in a handful of towns, shuts down our cell phone drone launch on air bases from the land they bought around our military institution, Something like that in the next 10 years?

[Michael]

10.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'm a 10 also.

[Michael]

Yeah. I mean, there are a number of different levels of attack. But if you, if you're a fan of history, you know, there have been various acts that have been done.

[Jack Armstrong]

That.

[Michael]

Our government or whatever government is involved doesn't directly attribute to the evildoer because if they did, there would be open warfare and people would be howling for vengeance. I can completely picture Xi Jinping saying send a message to the Americans and those many options that we've just been talking about, he exercises to some degree or another just to send a message. You know, we're in this trade war thing over the rare earth materials and Trump just announced 100% tariff. It's a, it's obviously playing a bit of chicken, but why wouldn't you throw in a little. Okay, tough guy. You're that tough, are you? Let's, let's just take down the lights in Dallas. What are we going to do, bomb them? Right. Take down the, the lights in Wuhan. Right. We probably don't have the capability. I hope we do.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's what I said about it's such a clever way to get around the whole nuclear weapon conundrum.

[Michael]

Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow. What a time to be alive. Hope you found that interesting. I sure did.

[Michael]

Chilling. Terrifying.

[Jack Armstrong]

What was the thing you teased I was excited about? Completely different, different flavor here.

[Michael]

Country singer Zach Ryan following the Bud Light handbook for stardom in modern America. How to screw with the core of your audience.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I've been on this story for a while. Been paying attention to it. Stay tuned.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Getty.

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[Jack Armstrong]

Apply so I've been following this Zach Bryan story partially because I don't remember an artist or song that in real life I came across as often as him. So many women of different like backgrounds and lifestyles that are so into his music. He's got a way with touching women that something in the Orange song is just, I don't know. Women dig it a lot. And, and he writes actual lyrics unlike most country artists who just have like a computer program that cranks out the same freaking crap, and I mean crap over and over again. He is not that. But he stepped in it. How did he step in it recently?

[Michael]

Bear dogs, pickup trucks, et cetera. Yeah, he previewed his new song Bad News on Instagram last week, featuring lyrics that were a not so subtle dig against ICE and President Trump. I heard the cops came. Cocky mother effers, ain't they? And ICE is gonna come bust down your door Try to build a house no one builds no more But I got a telephone Kids are all scared and all alone.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I don't know if he stepped in it the way some people think he stepped in it based on, for instance, some things Marjorie Taylor Greene said over the weekend. I don't know if you saw that, but she's talking about we gotta do something different here. I mean my constituents, we got a lot of people just doing regular work. Part of the communities that I represent that you know are here illegally and have been for a long time. This whole round of people. This is from Marjorie Taylor Greene, who's as MAGA as you can get. And I think her and Zach Bryan are certain segment of, you know, that, that part of America. He is from small town Oklahoma. I mean self produced his first two albums, became a YouTube sensation and then got booked by a, by a record label. He's one of those kind of people But I think he's representing the same kind of thinking that Marjorie Taylor Greene was talking about.

[Michael]

Well, I'll wash down your mumbo jumbo with a nice cold Bud Light with Dylan Mulvaney and we'll compare notes. Jack. No, I see your point exactly. And for the record, super glad Trump and company have sealed the border. It's astounding the extent to which illegal immigration is just stopped. Could have been done all along, which puts.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, exactly. A lie to the whole Biden Harris. What could we do? We constitute. We need. The Republicans need to pass a bill. That's why we can't. Okay, well, that's funny. Trump was able to, like, take it from the biggest migration in human history to zero people crossing in a couple of months.

[Michael]

An amazing achievement. And they were liars and incompetent. But my point is, for years and years, we as a country, like every level of government, sent the message, come on in. We need the workers. We need the young people. We need workers. And a lot of people are looking at the folks who heeded that call and have followed the law and worked hard and look at America as the land of opportunity and saying, wait a minute. We can't just heave them out now. It's not right. It might be the law, but it's not right. You know, the truth is somewhere in there, somewhere in the middle, probably. Right. And I hear you people yelling at the radio, they're here legally. Kick them out.

[Jack Armstrong]

But politically, as opposed to legally, the fact that you have MTG and Zach Bryan on the same page with this, and they're both people of the right, is it. That's. That's powerful. That's got to get Trump's attention. He usually has his finger on the pulse of that sort of thing.

[Michael]

Right. How big a deal is country singer Buddy Brown?

[Jack Armstrong]

I do not know.

[Michael]

Okay. Because I was going to say there, he takes some pretty good shots at Zach. But, you know, if it's to cite an Old Guy Rock reference or two, if it's like Tommy two Tone taking a shot at Mick Jagger, I mean, nobody cares, Right?

[Jack Armstrong]

I have a feeling whoever wrote that story just needed to have some quotes from somebody to make it seem very exciting.

[Michael]

He did unleash this line, though, that I thought was pretty good. He reminds me of a middle school desk inked up and unstable.

[Jack Armstrong]

That is a good line.

[Michael]

That's a good line. Okay. China's coming at us with psychological warfare as well. We ought to talk about that. Some of the ridiculous things about being said about the peace deal in the Middle East. Some interesting cryptocurrency news all on the way. If you can't stick around, subscribe to.

[Joe Getty]

The podcast Armstrong and Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

This is an iHeart podcast.